Feusang Story Arc
The Feusang Story Arc is the third story arc of Phoenix City Chronicles. It primarily concerns the struggle between the heroes and the warlord Feusang as he makes war on the continent of Norweist in his quest to steal all of the Osiris Artifacts and attain godhood. During this arc, many relationships deepen between characters (most notably the pairings of Tal/Cellus and Knuckles/Kaylea), and we are introduced to three more important heroes; the rogue doll Ami Yuuka, the khamele airship captain Zeaken Pyrek, and the kitsunemimi thief known only as Fox. This arc will be followed by the Kel Al Ba'al Story Arc after a one year gap. Plot Summary As the third story arc opens, Tal and Knuckles pursue Jacen to a clearing in the mountains where it is revealed that he has teamed up with a shapeshifting witch named Cecielia and a figure who bears a striking resemblance to the warlord of Kaylea's dream, whom Jacen refers to as Lord Feusang when he requests the privilege of dispatching Tal himself, revealing the demon has, indeed, become Feusang's minion. Meanwhile, Kaylea and Cellus speed toward that same location while keeping in touch with Brother Light via the telepathic link inherent in a magical set of bracers he provided the group with back in the first story arc. Tal and Jacen battle, with Tal proving the victor, and Feusang responds by informing the heroes that it was foolish of them to reveal such a powerful attack as this has forced him to kill them himself. The juggernaut makes good on his threat in a stunningly destructive exploding sword attack before departing with Cecielia, satisfied that he has tied up all loose ends. Soon after, Kaylea and Cellus arrive to find the charred remains of Knuckles and Tal. Kaylea tearfully vows to avenge Mason, whom she had grown to love, while Cellus finally snaps, reverting to an alternate personality known simply as "Nurse". Nurse, who is more outgoing and aggressive than her alter-ego, appears to have no emotional connection to Tal and is unfamiliar with the heroes. Brother Light telepathically confirms that Feusang is the monster from Kaylea's nightmare and that, sadly, the remains of their fallen allies are too damaged to resurrect. As if the situation were not complex enough, an airship appears on the horizon, carrying khamele sentinel Zeaken Pyrek and rogue doll Ami Yuuka. Zeaken mistakenly believes the heroes to be allied with a temple thief he had been tracking under contract with the government of Neki-Seraph, but soon changes his mind after seeing the amnesiac Kaylea, who he had known previously during her own post-trauma career as a temple thief, and agrees to team up with the group to put a stop to Feusang, whom he believes to be the actual temple thief. Before the pursuit of Feusang even begins, however, the heroes talk an initially reluctant Zeaken into taking them to Hell to vie for the souls of Knuckles and Tal. In Hell, the group faces an increasing succession of obstacles, first facing their own worst fears and then escalating to a battle with Aulbaid The Unforgiven, the single strongest soldier in the dark realm. During these trials, Azan is killed by his own claustrophobia, Tal finally rescues Cellus from the depths of her own mind, Knuckles is rescued from a gang of demons, and Cerys is briefly reunited with an old friend. Finally, with some help from the Narrator himself, the heroes escape from Hell in the possession of both the resurrected forms of their slain friends and the mysterious Bracers Of Janus, which the Narrator promises will aid them in the coming battle. With the team assembled, the heroes fly to Feusang's stronghold, the Fortress City Of Gerdheim, to confront him directly. Therein, they find themselves locked in battle with Jacen and Cecielia, a resurrected and embittered Azan, and Eldritch Dol, a cyborg who was once Lenitnes Dol before modifying himself by murdering his creations, including Ami Yuuka. Each of Feusang's minions are dispatched in turn, with the last prompting Light Dol, Lenitnes' consort and the "mother" of his creations, to appear to take the children to safety shortly after warning the would-be saviors of Circunima that Feusang has collected all of the Osiris Artifacts he had been amassing from temples around the Ra-Tae-Zu desert and achieved god-like power. Prior to the battle, Kaylea and a mysterious thief named Fox use the Bracers Of Janus to unite as the powerful warrior Vaneslea. The heroes track Feusang to his training room, where he has just finished torturing and killing Cania, Kaylea's former mentor. In the battle that follows, Feusang nigh-instantly slaughters all of the heroes save for Vanselea, Brother Light, and Cellus before Vaneslea retaliates with a blazing attack that kills the power-hungry warrior outright. As Light and Cellus revive the fallen, the Narrator appears to Vaneslea and congratulates her on a decidedly unexpected ending to this chapter before taking back the bracers. The champions discuss where they will go next, with Knuckles, Kaylea, Cerys, and Light choosing to return to Phoenix City, Tal, Cellus, and Burk going home to their childhood village, and Fox vanishing, much to the amusement of Zeaken who offers them all a ride to their respective yet mutual destination; home. Category:Phoenix City Chronicles Category:Story Arcs